One Direction streams new album on iTunes

When One Direction announced it would release its sophomore album on Nov. 13 — less than a year after the English boy band's hit debut, "Up All Night" — we assumed it was rather wisely taking a strike-while-the-iron-is-hot approach.

Now we know that's the case. With just over a week before "Take Me Home" hits stores in the U.S., One Direction began streaming the album on iTunes on Monday. You can hear it there for free all week, though we should warn you that the experience comes with a hidden cost — namely, brief exposure to brain-warping marketing drivel in the band's bio page with descriptions such as "hedonistic abandonment."

Like "Up All Night," which entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 in March, "Take Me Home" finds Harry, Louis and the rest of them in reliably high spirits (iTunes calls the record a "jubilant celebration of youth and good times"). The group worked with many of the same writers and producers as during the last go-around — including Ed Sheerhan, who co-wrote the new album's current single, "Little Things" — as well as fresh recruits like Dr. Luke and Shellback. (Watch the video for "Little Things" below.)

Expect more iron-striking from One Direction in the coming weeks, as the band is scheduled to perform on "The X Factor" on Thursday night and "Today" on Nov. 13 and 14. And on Nov. 18 it's up for a handful of American Music Awards. We don't see these kids losing the best new artist prize to J. Cole.